County Criminal Courts at Law hear solely criminal cases. The courts hear all Class "A" and Class "B" misdemeanors other than those involving official misconduct.

The Judge of the court is also a member of the Council of Judges of El Paso, and as such, takes part in formulating the rules and regulations for the Courthouse and the administration of justice in El Paso County by the district courts and the statutory county courts.

National Drug Court Month

Video is not visible, most likely your browser does not support HTML5 video

Users of Internet Exploer 8 and higher should turn off Compatibility View

Hundreds of lives have been saved by El Paso’s drug courts. Never heard of a drug court or a “problem-solving” or “specialty” court? They are, essentially, the same thing and you are going to be hearing more and more about all of them. Last year, President Obama gave several speeches acknowledging that the criminal justice, especially as it pertains to individuals with substance abuse issues, is in need of some serious tweaking. He called for new innovative and effective tools to combat crime. He asserted that “there’s got to be a better way to do this” because locking up drug offenders and throwing away the key, though a very simple solution, does not work. Ten El Paso judges were finding a “better way” to approach criminal justice long before President Obama’s speech. For over 12 years, El Paso criminal offenders with serious substance issues have been offered the opportunity to participate in drug courts. Drug court programs that not only help them beat drugs; they offer the offender the chance to become a better person. Simply stated, a drug court is an intense program that lasts about a year and is divided into four phases. An entire team of professionals meets weekly to discuss the participant’s progress and offer its expertise to the judge. There are unannounced visits from law enforcement, random drug-testing, and, most importantly, accountability for the defendant. There are currently 10 treatment courts in El Paso County that treat various populations including juveniles, prostitutes, veterans, and DWI offenders. The common denominators are that these courts treat individuals with substance abuse issues in a proven evidence-based manner and with an eye to not incarcerating these individuals but helping them. To be clear, reducing crime and saving money by reducing needless incarcerations are bipartisan goals. Governor Abbott and the Texas legislature are strong supporters of drug courts. In fact, the governor’s office oversees a Specialty Courts Advisory Council to ensure that Texas’s courts are adhering to proven drug court principles. Judge Robert Anchondo invites El Paso to celebrate National Drug Court Month and see the power of drug courts first hand. On May 26th at 6:00 p.m. in County Criminal Court Number Two, Judge Anchondo and his team will be celebrating several participants’ graduation from his DWI Drug Court Program. The participants’ words regarding their growth through the program will convey the power of drug courts far better than this invitation ever could. President Obama has stated that “Justice and redemption go hand in hand.” Please join us and celebrate a program that, for over 12 years, has provided hundreds of El Pasoans both.